Maximum and Average Pell Grants over Time

The maximum Pell Grant amount, which is legislated by Congress, has fluctuated over time. The $5,920 maximum Pell Grant in 2017-18 was 44% higher in inflation-adjusted dollars than it was 20 years earlier, but only 5% higher than it was 40 years earlier, in 1977-78.

Figure 21A: Maximum and Average Pell Grants in 2017 Dollars, 1977-78 to 2017-18

The maximum Pell Grant is the most frequently cited measure of per-student subsidies provided by the program. However, most students receive smaller grants because they are enrolled part time or because their family incomes and assets reduce their aid eligibility. In 2017-18, when the maximum Pell Grant was $5,920, the average grant was $4,010.

Between 2008-09 and 2018-19, published tuition and fees increased by 3.1% per year at public four-year institutions and by 2.3% per year at private nonprofit institutions, while the maximum Pell Grant increased by 1.2% per year, after adjusting for inflation.